Settlement to be reached in Stewart’s wrongful death suit
Tony Stewart and the parents of Kevin Ward Jr. agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family against the former NASCAR champion for his role in the death of their son on a dirt track in New York more than three years ago.
Minor stipulations remain to be settled and details of the agreement were not divulged at Thursday’s hearing in federal court before Judge David N. Hurd. The lawsuit sought unspecified damages and a jury trial had been set to begin May 7, but Hurd said the case would be dismissed once procedures regarding Ward’s estate were finalized.
Ward’s mother, Pamela Ward, made it clear she was not satisfied.
“I wanted to have a trial so he (Stewart) could be held accountable,” Pamela Ward said, adding that the cost of a trial would have been beyond the family’s means. “That wasmy goal.”
The 20-year-oldWardwas killed Aug. 9, 2014, during a sprint car race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in western New York. Ward spun and crashed after contact with Stewart’s car. He climbed out of the openwheel car while the race was under caution and beganwalking down the dimly lit track in an apparent attempt to confront Stewart. One car appeared to swerve to avoid Ward, but he was struck by the back right tire of Stewart’s car and died of blunt force trauma.
Golf
WOODS ENTERS U.S. OPEN » Tiger Woods filed his entry to play in theU.S. Open for the first time since 2015. The USGA said Woods officially entered Thursday, four days after he tied for 32nd in the Masters.
Woods is in the last year of a 10- year exemption from winning the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. SABBATINI LEADS BY 2 SHOTS AT HARBOUR TOWN » Rory Sabbatini shot a 7- under 64 for his lowest round ever at Harbour Town Golf Links and a two-stroke lead in the RBC Heritage atHiltonHead Island, S.C., with top-ranked Dustin Johnson five shots behind. Matt Kuchar, Billy Horschel, Chesson Hadley and John Huh shot 66s. RAHM CONTENDS AT SPANISH OPEN » Home favorite Jon Rahm shot a 5-under 67 to finish one off the lead after the first round of the Spanish Open in Madrid. Marc Warren of Scotland and Paul Dunne of Ireland set the pace on 66 at the Centro Nacional de Golf. HENDERSON LEADS IN HAWAII » Brooke Henderson shot a 6-under 66 to take a two-shot lead in the second round of the Lotte Championship in Oahu, Hawaii.
Soccer
WORLD CUP EXPANSION
SOUGHT » FIFA was asked by South America’s governingbody to expandtheWorld Cup to48 teams for the2022 tournament in Qatar.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who gained approval last year to increase the amount of teams from 32 to 48 from the 2026 tournament, received the request fromCONMEBOL to hasten the expansion while attend- ing the confederation’s congress in Buenos Aires. DEMPSEYBANLENGTHENED » Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey was suspended an additional game for an elbowing incident on March 18 against FC Dallas. That brings the suspension to two games.
Boxing
FURYRETURNINGTORING » Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is returning to the ring after serving a two-year doping ban. The Briton signedwith promoter Frank Warren and plans to fight on June9 at Manchester Arena.
Track and field
BOLT NOT PLANNING COMEBACK » The newly-retired Usain Bolt left no doubt about his future, which doesn’t include a return to elite sprinting.
Asked at a news conference at the Commonwealth Games if it’s possible the world might see him at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, “am I right, or am I wrong?,” a journalist asked Bolt, who replied: “Very wrong.”
College football
STANFORD DB HEADED TO LSU » LSU officials said former Stanford cornerback Terrence Alexander signed with the Tigers as a graduate transfer and is eligible to play this season. MICHIGAN QB SPEIGHT TRANFERRING TO UCLA » Former Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight announced he is transferring to UCLA.
NFL
BILLS’ INCOGNITOTORETIRE » The Buffalo Bills placed Richie Incognito on their reserve/retired list in a move confirming the offensive guard’s intention to abruptly quit football after 11 seasons. BURFICTBANUPHELD » Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict will be sidelined to start a season for the fourth year in a row, this time serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance- enhancers. The NFL rejected Burfict’s appeal without comment. FAVRE HAVING MEMORY ISSUES » Brett Favre, 48, said he might have had “thousands” of concussions during his Hall of Fame career.The three-time NFL MVP who played from 1992-2010 said on NBC’s “Megyn Kelly Today” that he is experiencing shortterm memory issues.
Basketball
GAMECOCKS’WILSON GOES FIRST IN DRAFT » A’ja Wilson was the top pick in the WNBA draft by the Las Vegas Aces. The South Carolina star post player will bolster the relocated franchise’s frontcourt.
Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell went second to the Indiana Fever. WHALEN TAKES ON GOPHERSJOB » Alumnus Lindsay Whalen accepted the head coaching job for the University of Minnesota women’s basketball team. The Minnesota Lynx star will keep herWNBA job at the same time, calling the situation a dream come true. She led the Golden Gophers to the Final Four in 2004.